Ring-shaped devices with voice integration

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for ring-shaped devices with voice integration. In one embodiment, an example device may include an antenna element that at least partially forms an outer surface of the ring-shaped device, an outer shell coupled to the antenna element, an inner shell coupled to the outer shell, a curved battery disposed along a first side of the ring-shaped device, and a flexible printed circuit assembly coupled to the curved battery and disposed along a second side of the ring shaped device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/208,200, filed Dec. 3, 2018, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices may have microphones, speakers, and other components.Certain devices may be wearable devices, such as watches, glasses, andthe like, and may be worn by users. However, certain devices may bebulky and/or have relatively large footprints, which may therefore makeit difficult for users to wear such devices. In addition, performance ofsome electronic devices may be affected by the human body. As a result,devices with reduced footprints and/or smaller form factors, whilemaintaining functionality, may be desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device with voiceintegration and an example use case in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device with voiceintegration in an exploded view in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device with voiceintegration in an exploded view in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of various components of a ring-shapeddevice with voice integration in various views in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of various components of a ring-shapeddevice with voice integration in various views in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device with voiceintegration in a cross-sectional view in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of a button assembly of a ring-shapeddevice with voice integration in various views in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates an example architecture of aring-shaped device with voice integration in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration onlyand merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawingsare provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall notbe deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of thedisclosure. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar,but not necessarily the same or identical components. Differentreference numerals may be used to identify similar components. Variousembodiments may utilize elements or components other than thoseillustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may notbe present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology todescribe a component or element may encompass, depending on the context,a plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

Wearable devices may include electronic devices that a user can wear,for example, as an accessory, or can otherwise take with them, such asin the user's pocket. Wearable devices may include watches, bracelets,glasses, electronic trackers, and so forth. Because wearable devices maybe worn by users, factors of the device including size, weight, shape,and the like may affect a user experience with the device. For example,a device that is bulky, heavy, or too large may be impractical forcertain users to use or wear. In addition, reducing a size or footprintof a device may affect the functionality of the device. For example,reducing the size of a battery in the device may reduce an amount oftime the device can operate without being recharged. Accordingly, asize, shape, weight, and/or other factors may impact not only a userexperience with a wearable device, but functionality of the device aswell.

Embodiments of the disclosure may include ring-shaped devices that areconfigured to detect voice input and to wirelessly communicate withother electronic devices. Different wearable devices may have differentcapabilities. For example, a wearable glasses device may be configuredto provide augmented reality information on a display of the glasses,while a wearable watch device may be configured to detect heartrate,monitor physical activity, and so forth. Embodiments of the disclosureinclude ring-shaped devices that may be worn by users as a ring aroundthe user's finger. The ring-shaped devices may be configured to detectvoice input and may be configured to wirelessly communicate with otherelectronic devices. For example, in some instances, a user may be unableor unwilling to take a smartphone out of the user's pocket or bag.However, the user may wish to set a timer, send a message, or performanother task. Using the ring-shaped devices described herein, the usermay speak a voice command to the ring-shaped device, and the ring-shapeddevice may send the voice command to the user's smartphone or otherdevice. The user may therefore not have to physically interact with thesmartphone. Other examples of functionality include using thering-shaped devices to control other electronic devices, such astelevisions, stereos, content streaming devices, and so forth, sendingvoice messages, receiving information (e.g., audible presentation of acurrent time, etc.), and other functionality.

Because the user may wear the ring-shaped device around a finger, a sizeof the ring-shaped device may be limited. In addition, wirelessperformance of the ring-shaped device, such as transmission range, maybe affected by contact between the ring-shaped device and adjacentfingers. For example, the nearby fingers may absorb radio wavestransmitted by the ring-shaped device.

This disclosure relates to, among other things, systems, methods,computer-readable media, techniques, and methodologies for ring-shapeddevices with voice integration. Embodiments may include devices that canbe voice-controlled and/or voice activated, detect voice input, outputaudio content, control other electronic devices, send and receivewireless communications, and/or other operations. Some embodimentsinclude an all-metal housing, and may include curved and/or flexiblebatteries and electronic components disposed within the housing. Certainembodiments may include noise-cancelling microphones, speakers, and/orother components.

Referring to FIG. 1, an example use case 100 with an example ring-shapeddevice 110 is depicted in accordance with one or more embodiments of thedisclosure. In the illustrated example, a user may use the ring-shapeddevice 110 to communicate with another electronic device, such as asmartphone 130. To interact with the ring-shaped device 110, the usermay, in some instances, interact with a button or other component of thering-shaped device 110 to initiate monitoring for voice input. In otherinstances, the user may interact with the ring-shaped device 110 byspeaking a wake word, such as “Alexa,” or by making a certain gesture,such as lifting the user's hand towards the user's mouth. Thering-shaped device 110 may listen for a request or voice command, andmay respond accordingly. For example, the ring-shaped device 110 maycause one or more operations to be performed, such as controlling otherdevices (e.g., televisions, lights, radios, thermostats, etc.), mayrespond with audio or visual information (e.g., weather, news, messages,etc.), and/or may perform different actions in response to a request orcommand.

The ring-shaped device 110 may include one or more microphones that maybe used to detect voice input and/or generate a signal representingaudio input. For example, in FIG. 1, the ring-shaped device 110 mayinclude a first microphone 116 positioned at or near a bottom of thering-shaped device 110, where the bottom of the ring-shaped device 110may face the user's palm when the user makes a fist (“bottom,” “top,”“upper,” “lower,” and “side” as used herein describe relativepositioning for illustrative examples and not absolute positioning).Accordingly, to speak into the first microphone 116, the user may raisethe user's hand towards the user's mouth and may speak into or near thefirst microphone 116. In the example of FIG. 1, the user may say a voicecommand of “send a text to mom.” The voice command may be detected bythe first microphone 116 and may be sent, for example over a wirelessconnection (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi, etc.) to the smartphone 130.The smartphone 130 may receive the voice command, and may initiate oneor more actions. For example, the smartphone 130 may initiate a textmessage to “mom,” as determined using a contact list associated with thesmartphone 130 and/or the user. In some embodiments, the ring-shapeddevice 110 may include one or more speakers for audible feedback. Forexample, the speakers may present audible feedback such as “what wouldyou like the message to say?”

The ring-shaped device 110 may include a second microphone 118 that maybe aligned with an aperture in an antenna assembly disposed at a topportion of the ring-shaped device 110. The top portion may be on thebackside of the user's hand. The second microphone 118 may be used fornoise cancellation in some embodiments.

The ring-shaped device 110 may include an outer shell 112 and an innershell 114. The outer shell 112 and the inner shell 114 may be formed ofmetal. For example, the outer shell 112 may be formed of titanium, andthe inner shell 114 may be formed of a nickel-free stainless steel, suchas a metal injection molded inner shell made from panacea metal. Theouter shell 112 and the inner shell 114 may be glued together to form ahousing of the ring-shaped device 110. In some embodiments,

The ring-shaped device 110 may include an antenna 120 disposed along thetop portion of the ring-shaped device 110. The antenna 120 may be formedof metal, such as titanium. The antenna 120 may be operable using a 2.4GHz band, 5 GHz band, or any other suitable band. The antenna 120 mayhave an aperture extending through the antenna 120, where the secondmicrophone 118 is aligned with the aperture. The antenna 120 may beseparated from the outer shell 112 by a plastic carrier component 122.The plastic carrier component 122 may surround at least a portion of theantenna 120 and may create separation between the antenna 120 and theouter shell 112, thereby reducing a likelihood of interference caused bythe outer shell 112. The ring-shaped device 110 may include a chargingcontact 124 that may be disposed along an inner surface of thering-shaped device 110. The charging contact 124 may be used to couplethe ring-shaped device 110 to a charging device to recharge a batterydisposed within the ring-shaped device 110.

The ring-shaped device 110 may therefore be configured to operate invarious environments, such as environments with ambient noise, whilemaintaining audible and/or visual interaction capabilities with users.Because the antenna 120 may be position along a top of the ring-shapeddevice 110, radio frequency currents may be moved away from the user'sfingers, which may improve efficiency and bandwidth. In addition, themetal housing may reduce an amount of energy that can be absorbed byshielding the user's fingers (wearing the ring and adjacent fingers)from the fields generated by the antenna 120. An amount of powerdelivered to the antenna that is absorbed by the user's fingers may bereduced. As a result, the ring-shaped device 110 may have improvedfunctionality while maintaining a relatively small form factor andaesthetically pleasing design

Example embodiments of the disclosure provide a number of technicalfeatures or technical effects. For example, in accordance with exampleembodiments of the disclosure, certain embodiments of the disclosure mayincrease a bandwidth and/or efficiency of antenna systems used withring-shaped devices, detect voice commands, determine meanings of voicecommands, and/or initiate actions in response to voice commands. Theabove examples of technical features and/or technical effects of exampleembodiments of the disclosure are merely illustrative and notexhaustive.

One or more illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have beendescribed above. The above-described embodiments are merely illustrativeof the scope of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting inany way. Accordingly, variations, modifications, and equivalents of theembodiments disclosed herein are also within the scope of thisdisclosure. The above-described embodiments and additional and/oralternative embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detailhereinafter through reference to the accompanying drawings.

ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS AND USE CASES

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device 200 with voiceintegration in an exploded view in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may include additional,fewer, and/or different components.

The ring-shaped device 200 may have a housing. The housing may bering-shaped and/or substantially circular, and may be formed of one ormore portions. For example, the housing may include an inner shell 202and an outer shell 230. An antenna element 240 may form at least aportion of the housing, such as a top portion.

The ring-shaped device 200 may include the inner shell 202. The innershell 202 may be in contact with a user's finger when the ring-shapeddevice 200 is worn by a user. The inner shell 202 may be formed ofmetal, such as stainless steel, and in some instances, may be formed ofmetal injection molded panacea material. The inner shell 202 may beformed of metal to improve biocompatibility and/or the feel of thering-shaped device 200 to a user.

The inner shell 202 may be coupled to the outer shell 230. The outershell 230 may be formed of a metal material, such as titanium. In someembodiments, the outer shell 230 may be formed of a stamped titaniummaterial. The inner shell 202 may be disposed within the outer shell 230and may be coupled using an adhesive, such as glue. In some embodiments,the inner shell 202 may be a circular inner shell, in that the outersurface of the inner shell 202 that is in contact with a user's fingerduring use may be circular or substantially circular. The circularportion of the inner shell 202 may form an inner surface of the housingof the ring-shaped device.

The antenna element 240 may be disposed along the top of the ring-shapeddevice 200 and may be formed of metal, such as a stamped titaniummaterial. The antenna element 240 may form a portion of the outersurface of the housing of the ring-shaped device 200. The antennaelement 240 may be a curved antenna element, so as to maintain acurvature of an outer surface of the ring-shaped housing. The outershell 230 may be coupled to the curved antenna element 240. In someembodiments, one or more holes or apertures may be formed in the antennaelement 240, and a microphone may be aligned with the one or more holesor apertures. In some embodiments, the inner shell 202, the outer shell204, the antenna element 240, and/or an optional plastic carriercomponent may be glued together for structural sealing.

One or more components may be disposed within the housing of thering-shaped device 200. For example, a flexible printed circuit assembly204 may be disposed inside the housing along a first side of thering-shaped device 200. A number of components may be coupled to ormounted on the flexible printed circuit assembly 204. For example, anantenna feed component 206 may be disposed at a first segment of theflexible printed circuit assembly 204. The antenna feed component 206may couple the flexible printed circuit assembly 204 (and/or one or morecomponents of the flexible printed circuit assembly 204) to the antennaelement 240. In some embodiments, the antenna feed component 206 may beconfigured to electrically couple the flexible printed circuit assembly204 to the antenna element 240. A first microphone 208 may be disposedon the flexible printed circuit assembly 204 adjacent to the antennafeed component 206. The first microphone 208 may be disposed at or nearan upper portion of the ring-shaped device 200, and may therefore beused for noise cancellation, as a user may not wish to speak into theupper portion of the ring-shaped device 200 (e.g., the user may finddoing so awkward, etc.). The first microphone 208 may be configured tocancel ambient noise. A haptic motor 210 may be disposed on the firstsegment of the flexible printed circuit assembly 204 adjacent to theantenna feed component 206. The haptic motor 210 may be configured toprovide haptic or vibrational feedback to a user. A grounding spring 212may be coupled to the flexible printed circuit assembly 204 and theinner shell 202 and/or outer shell 230 to provide grounding. In someembodiments, the grounding spring 212 may be coupled to a first flexibleportion 214 of the flexible printed circuit assembly 204 betweenrespective segments of the flexible printed circuit assembly 204. Forexample, the first flexible portion 214 may be positioned between asecond segment and a third segment of the flexible printed circuitassembly 204, and a second flexible portion 216 may be positionedbetween the third segment and a fourth segment of the flexible printedcircuit assembly 204. The grounding spring 212 may be used inconjunction with optional conductive foams disposed about the bendregions or flexible portions of the flexible printed circuit assembly204. The bend regions or flexible portions may include exposed coverlaysections that provide access to cross-hatched copper ground, and thegrounding spring 212 and/or conductive foams may couple thecross-hatched copper ground to the outer shell 230 and/or inner shell202.

The antenna feed component 206, first microphone 208, and haptic motor210 may be disposed on a first side of the flexible printed circuitassembly 204. The first side may be outward facing, or may face theouter shell 230 of the ring-shaped device 200. Additional components maybe disposed on a second side of the flexible printed circuit assembly204. The second side may be opposite the first side and may be, in someinstances, inward facing, or may face the inner shell 202.

For example, a speaker assembly 218 may be disposed on the second sideof the flexible printed circuit assembly 204. The speaker assembly 218may be disposed on a segment of the flexible printed circuit assembly204 that is at an opposite end of the flexible printed circuit assembly204 with respect to the antenna feed component 206, in some embodiments.

The ring-shaped device 200 may include one or more microphonesconfigured to detect sound and/or generate an audio signal. Themicrophones may be positioned within the housing and may correspond tothe locations of one or more microphone holes on the housing. A secondmicrophone 232 may be disposed adjacent to the speaker assembly 218. Thesecond microphone 232 may be configured to detect voice input.

The flexible printed circuit assembly 204 may be coupled to a battery220. The battery 220 may be a curved battery and may be configured topower the ring-shaped device 200. The battery 220 may be any suitablebattery type, such as lithium ion, nickel cadmium, etc. the battery 220may be rechargeable. The battery 220 may be disposed in the housing ofthe ring-shaped device 200 along a second side of the ring-shaped device200, or along a side of the housing opposite the flexible printedcircuit assembly 204. The battery 220 may be coupled to the flexibleprinted circuit assembly 204 using, for example, a flexible jumpercomponent 222. The flexible jumper component 222 may be used to form anelectrical connection between the battery 220 and the flexible printedcircuit assembly 204, and may remove the need for soldering in someinstances. The flexible jumper component 222 may be configured toelectrically couple the flexible printed circuit assembly 204 and thecurved battery 220, where the flexible jumper component 222 may bedisposed between a first end of the flexible printed circuit assembly204 and a second end of the curved battery 220.

A strap 226 may be included to couple the battery 220 to a chargingcontact assembly 226. The charging contact assembly 226 may include oneor more charging contacts that can be used to electrically couple thering-shaped device 200 to a charger in order to charge the battery 220.In some embodiments, the charging contacts may be inward facing (e.g.,with respect to a center of the ring, etc.), while in other embodiments,the charging contacts may be outward facing (e.g., with respect to theouter shell 230, away from the ring, etc.). The charging contactassembly 226 may be coupled to the inner shell 202 and/or the outershell 230. In some embodiments, the charging contact may be coupled tothe inner shell 202 via the charging contact assembly 226, and thecharging contact may be oriented in an inward facing orientation, ortowards a center of the ring-shaped device 200. A grounding bridge 228may be coupled to the battery 220 to provide grounding. The groundingbridge 228 may be coupled to the inner shell 202 and/or the outer shell230.

A plastic carrier component 236, which may be a plastic bracket, maysupport the antenna element 240. The plastic carrier component 236 mayinclude a curved body portion and one or more raised portions. Theplastic carrier component 236 may at least partially separate theantenna element 240 from the outer shell 230 and/or the inner shell 202.For example, the plastic carrier component 236 may be disposed in thehousing of the ring-shaped device 200 between the antenna element 240and the inner shell 202, and may include raised portion(s) that aredisposed between the antenna element 240 and the outer shell 230. Insome embodiments, a portion of the plastic carrier component 236 may beexternally visible. Accordingly, the plastic carrier component 236 mayoptionally form at least a portion of the outer surface of the housingof the ring-shaped device 200. A microphone vent seal 238 may bedisposed on an outer surface of the plastic carrier component 236 andmay provide sealing for the first microphone 208.

The ring-shaped device 200 may include one or more pressable or physicalbuttons. For example, the ring-shaped device 200 may include a buttonassembly 234 may be disposed along a lower portion of the housing of thering-shaped device 200. The button assembly 234 may include one or morebuttons that can be used, for example, to initiate a voice command tothe ring-shaped device 200. The button assembly 234 may be coupled tothe outer shell 230. Any number of buttons or manually configurableinputs may be included.

One or more audio ports and/or perforated holes for audio may bedisposed on the outer shell 230 adjacent to the button assembly 234 andmay allow for sound to exit the housing, but may prevent solid particleingress. Microphone ports and/or speaker ports may be sealed using meshand membrane to increase water resistance and/or for waterproofing.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device 300 with voiceintegration in an exploded view in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may include additional,fewer, and/or different components. FIG. 3 is a partial explodedperspective view of the ring-shaped device 300.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the ring-shaped device 300 may includecomponents similar to those illustrated in FIG. 2. However, the geometryand configuration of the antenna element and plastic carrier componentof the ring-shaped device 300 in FIG. 3 may be different than that ofthe embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2. In addition, various othercomponents may be used, such as grounding clips instead of a groundingbridge.

In FIG. 3, the ring-shaped device 300 may have a housing. The housingmay be ring-shaped and/or substantially circular, and may be formed ofone or more portions. For example, the housing may include an innershell 304 and an outer shell 302. An antenna element 350 may form atleast a portion of the housing, such as a top portion.

The inner shell 304 may be formed of metal, such as stainless steel, andin some instances, may be formed of metal injection molded panaceamaterial. The inner shell 304 may be formed of metal to improvebiocompatibility and/or the feel of the ring-shaped device 300 to auser. The inner shell 304 may be coupled to the outer shell 302. Theouter shell 302 may be formed of a metal material, such as titanium. Insome embodiments, the outer shell 302 may be formed of a stampedtitanium material. The inner shell 304 may be disposed within the outershell 302 and may be coupled using an adhesive, such as glue. In someembodiments, the inner shell 304 may be a circular inner shell, in thatthe outer surface of the inner shell 304 that is in contact with auser's finger during use may be circular or substantially circular. Thecircular portion of the inner shell 304 may form an inner surface of thehousing of the ring-shaped device.

The antenna element 350 may be disposed along the top of the ring-shapeddevice 300 and may be formed of metal, such as a stamped titaniummaterial. The antenna element 350 may form a portion of the outersurface of the housing of the ring-shaped device 200. The antennaelement 350 may be a curved antenna element, so as to maintain acurvature of an outer surface of the ring-shaped housing. The antennaelement 350 may have an oval geometry in some embodiments, as opposed tothe substantially rectangular geometry of the antenna element in FIG. 2.A microphone hole or aperture 344 may extend through the antenna element350 and may be aligned with one or more microphones disposed within thehousing. For example, a first microphone assembly 342 may include afirst microphone for noise cancelation and/or voice input that may bealigned with the aperture 344. A seal 360 may be disposed about theaperture 344. The seal 360 may be mounted on an exterior or interiorsurface of the antenna element 350. A haptic motor 362 may be disposedadjacent to the first microphone assembly 342 and may be used to outputvibrational feedback that may be felt by a user while wearing thering-shaped device 300.

The outer shell 302 may be coupled to the curved antenna element 350. Insome embodiments, one or more holes or apertures may be formed in theantenna element 350, and a microphone may be aligned with the one ormore holes or apertures. In some embodiments, the inner shell 304, theouter shell 302, the antenna element 350, and/or an optional plasticcarrier component may be glued together for structural sealing.

One or more components may be disposed within the housing of thering-shaped device 300. For example, a flexible printed circuit assembly330 may be disposed inside the housing along a first side of thering-shaped device 300. A number of components may be coupled to ormounted on the flexible printed circuit assembly 330. For example, anantenna feed component, a first microphone, a second microphone, ahaptic motor, and/or other components may be disposed on the flexibleprinted circuit assembly 330.

One or more grounding clips 332 may be coupled to the flexible printedcircuit assembly 330 and/or the outer shell 302 to provide grounding.The grounding clips 332 may be coupled to the segments of the flexibleprinted circuit assembly 330 and/or to the flexible portions betweensegments.

A speaker and microphone assembly 308 may be disposed on the flexibleprinted circuit assembly 330 at a lower portion of the ring-shapeddevice 300. The speaker and microphone assembly 308 may include aspeaker assembly and a second microphone for voice input. A chargingcontact assembly 306 may include one or more charging contacts that canbe used to electrically couple the ring-shaped device 300 to a chargerin order to charge a battery 320. In some embodiments, the chargingcontacts may be inward facing, while in other embodiments, the chargingcontacts may be outward facing. The charging contact assembly 306 may becoupled to the inner shell 304 and/or the outer shell 302. In someembodiments, the charging contact may be coupled to the inner shell 304via the charging contact assembly 306, and the charging contact may beoriented in an inward facing orientation, or towards a center of thering-shaped device 300.

The flexible printed circuit assembly 330 may be coupled to the battery320. The battery 320 may be a curved battery and may be configured topower the ring-shaped device 300. The battery 320 may be any suitablebattery type, such as lithium ion, nickel cadmium, etc. the battery 320may be rechargeable. The battery 320 may be disposed in the housing ofthe ring-shaped device 300 along a second side of the ring-shaped device300, or along a side of the housing opposite the flexible printedcircuit assembly 330. The battery 320 may be coupled to the flexibleprinted circuit assembly 330 using, for example, a flexible jumpercomponent.

One or more grounding clips 322 may be coupled to the battery 320 toprovide grounding. The grounding clips 322 may be coupled to the innershell 304 and/or the outer shell 302.

A plastic carrier component 340 may support the antenna element 350. Theplastic carrier component 340 may include a curved body portion and oneor more raised portions. The plastic carrier component 340 may at leastpartially separate the antenna element 350 from the outer shell 302and/or the inner shell 304. For example, the plastic carrier component340 may be disposed in the housing of the ring-shaped device 300 betweenthe antenna element 350 and the inner shell 304, and may include raisedportion(s) that are disposed between the antenna element 350 and theouter shell 302. For example, the plastic carrier component 340 mayinclude a first raised portion 346 disposed between a first side of theantenna element 350 and the outer shell 302, and a second raised portion348 disposed between a second side of the antenna element 350 and theouter shell 302. In some embodiments, a portion of the plastic carriercomponent 340 may be externally visible. Accordingly, the plasticcarrier component 340 may optionally form at least a portion of theouter surface of the housing of the ring-shaped device 300.

The ring-shaped device 300 may include one or more pressable or physicalbuttons. For example, the ring-shaped device 300 may include a buttonassembly 310 that may be disposed along a lower portion of the housingof the ring-shaped device 300. The button assembly 310 may include oneor more buttons that can be used, for example, to initiate a voicecommand to the ring-shaped device 300. The button assembly 310 may becoupled to the outer shell 302. Any number of buttons or manuallyconfigurable inputs may be included.

One or more audio ports and/or perforated holes for audio may bedisposed on the outer shell 302 adjacent to the button assembly 310 andmay allow for sound to exit the housing, but may prevent solid particleingress. Microphone ports and/or speaker ports may be sealed using meshand membrane to increase water resistance and/or for waterproofing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of various components of a ring-shapeddevice with voice integration in various views in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may includeadditional, fewer, and/or different components.

In a first illustration 400, a ring-shaped device is depicted withvarious components in a partially exploded view. The ring-shaped deviceincludes an outer shell 410 and an inner shell 420 that fits within theouter shell 410 to form a housing of the ring-shaped device. A flexibleprinted circuit assembly 430 is disposed within a first side of thering-shaped device, and a curved battery 450 is disposed within a secondside of the ring-shaped device. The curved battery 450 may be flexible.

A second illustration 460 depicts the flexible printed circuit assembly430 and the curved battery 450 coupled together. The flexible printedcircuit assembly 430 may include an antenna feed 434 and a firstmicrophone 432 disposed on a first segment of the flexible printedcircuit assembly 430. The first segment may be positioned at an end ofthe flexible printed circuit assembly 430 and may be coupled to thecurved battery 450. A system-on-a-chip 436 may be disposed on a secondsegment of the flexible printed circuit assembly 430. Thesystem-on-a-chip 436 may include a Bluetooth radio in some instances.

A first connector portion 438, which may be flexible, may be disposedbetween the second segment and a third segment. In some embodiments, aground contact that electrically couples the first connector portion 438to the inner shell and/or the outer shell may be included.

A battery protection circuit 440 may be disposed on the third segment. Asecond connector portion 442, which may be flexible, may be disposedbetween the third segment and a fourth segment. In some embodiments, aground contact that electrically couples the second connector portion442 to the inner shell and/or the outer shell may be included. Acharging contact assembly 446 may include charging contact 444 and maybe disposed between an end of the flexible printed circuit assembly 430and an end of the curved battery 450. A main logic board 448 may bedisposed on a fourth segment and may include a number of components.

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of various components of a ring-shapeddevice with voice integration in various views in accordance with one ormore embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may includeadditional, fewer, and/or different components. The ring-shaped deviceof FIG. 5 may be the same ring-shaped device of FIG. 4.

As depicted in a first illustration 500, the ring-shaped device mayinclude an outer shell 510 and an inner shell 520 that fits within theouter shell 510. Both the outer shell 510 and the inner shell 520 may beformed of metal. A flexible printed circuit assembly 530 may be disposedwithin a first side of the ring-shaped device, and a curved battery maybe disposed at a second side of the ring-shaped device. The curvedbattery may be flexible.

In the second illustration 540, the ring-shaped device is illustrated ina bottom perspective view, and the inner shell 520 may include a firstconnector portion 550 and a second connector portion 560. The firstconnector portion 550 and the second connector portion 560 may be usedto couple the charging contact assembly and/or to support the jumperflex component between the flexible printed circuit assembly 530 andbattery. In some instances, the first connector portion 550 and thesecond connector portion 560 may be used to couple the inner shell 520to the outer shell 510.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a ring-shaped device 600 with voiceintegration in a cross-sectional view in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may include additional,fewer, and/or different components. The ring-shaped device of FIG. 6 maybe the same ring-shaped device of FIG. 3.

The ring-shaped device 600 may have a housing that includes an upperportion 610, a lower portion 620, a first side 640, and a second side650. The outer surface of the housing may be formed by a metal outershell 602, such as a titanium outer shell, and the inner surface of thehousing may be formed by a metal inner shell 604. A curved battery 608and a flexible printed circuit assembly 606 may be coupled together anddisposed within the housing of the ring-shaped device 600.

The upper portion 610 may be a portion of the ring-shaped device 600that is defined by a horizontal axis 630 of the ring-shaped device 600.Specifically, the upper portion 610 may be on a first side of thehorizontal axis 630, and the lower portion 620 may be on a second sideof the horizontal axis 630. The horizontal axis 630 may be a centralhorizontal axis or plane. In some embodiments, the upper portion mayinclude a portion of the outer surface of the ring-shaped device 600formed by an antenna element 660. The antenna element 660 may be acurved antenna element that forms, at least partially, an outer surfaceof the upper portion 610 of the housing. A microphone hole or aperture670 may extend through the antenna element 660. In some embodiments, theouter shell 602 may include an aperture for a second microphone disposedin the lower portion 620 of the housing.

The first side 640 may be a first curved side portion and the secondside 650 may be a second curved side portion. The first side 640 and thesecond side 650 may be defined about a vertical axis 652 of thering-shaped device 600. The vertical axis 652 may be a central verticalaxis or plane.

The upper portion 610 may have a first thickness 612, as measured froman outer surface of the ring-shaped device 600 to an inner surface ofthe ring-shaped device 600. The lower portion 620 may have a secondthickness 622, as measured from an outer surface of the ring-shapeddevice 600 to an inner surface of the ring-shaped device 600. The secondthickness 622 may be less than the first thickness 612.

The first side 640 may have a third thickness 642, as measured from anouter surface of the ring-shaped device 600 to an inner surface of thering-shaped device 600. The second side 650 may have a fourth thickness652, as measured from an outer surface of the ring-shaped device 600 toan inner surface of the ring-shaped device 600. The third thickness 642may be the same as the fourth thickness 652. In some embodiments, thethird thickness 642 and/or the fourth thickness 652 may be less than orequal to the second thickness 622. The third thickness 642 and/or thefourth thickness 652 may be less than the first thickness 612. In someinstances, the first thickness 612 may be greater than the secondthickness 622, and the second thickness 622 may be greater than thethird thickness 642 and the fourth thickness 652.

A plastic carrier component 662 may be disposed between the antennaelement 660 and the inner shell 604. Specifically, the plastic carriercomponent 662 may include a curved body portion 664 that is disposedbetween the antenna element 660 and the inner shell 604. The plasticcarrier component 662 may include a first raised portion 666 and asecond raised portion 668. The first raised portion 666 and the secondraised portion 668 may separate the antenna element 660 from the outershell 602. For example, the first raised portion 666 may be externallyvisible and may physically separate the antenna element 660 from a firstend of the outer shell 602, and the second raised portion 668 may beexternally visible and may physically separate the antenna element 660from a second end of the outer shell 602. Some embodiments may includeone raised portion instead of two. Some embodiments may include morethan two raised portions.

FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of a button assembly 710 of a ring-shapeddevice 700 with voice integration in various views in accordance withone or more embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments may includeadditional, fewer, and/or different components. The ring-shaped deviceof FIG. 7 may be the same ring-shaped device of FIGS. 3 and 6.

The button assembly 710 may be slightly offset with respect to a centralvertical axis or plane of the ring-shaped device (e.g., as depicted inFIG. 6, etc.). This may increase ease of use for users. The buttonassembly 710 may include one or more buttons that a user can engage inorder to initiate a voice input or other communication. The buttonassembly 710 may be coupled to the outer shell and/or inner shell of thering-shaped device 700. The button assembly 710 may be disposed alongthe lower portion of the housing.

The button assembly 710 may include a button portion 720, a rubberportion 730, and a frame 740. The button portion 720 may be a metalbutton and may be externally accessible. The rubber portion 730 may beformed of rubber, such as a silicone-based material. The frame 740 maybe formed of metal. When depressed, the button portion 720 may deformthe rubber portion 720 and may engage a switch 750 that may be disposedon the flexible printed circuit assembly of the ring-shaped device 700.The frame 740 may be a rubber overmold frame, and the button assembly710 may have a thickness of approximately 1 millimeter in someembodiments.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous othermodifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processingcapabilities described with respect to a particular device or componentmay be performed by any other device or component. Further, whilevarious illustrative implementations and architectures have beendescribed in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous othermodifications to the illustrative implementations and architecturesdescribed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference toblock and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/orcomputer program products according to example embodiments. It will beunderstood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flowdiagrams, respectively, may be implemented by the execution ofcomputer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of theblock diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to beperformed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to beperformed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additionalcomponents and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of theblock and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams supportcombinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of elements or steps for performing the specifiedfunctions, and program instruction means for performing the specifiedfunctions. It will also be understood that each block of the blockdiagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose,hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions,elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

ILLUSTRATIVE DEVICE ARCHITECTURE

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of one or more illustrative voiceintegrated device(s) 800 in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the disclosure. The voice integrated device(s) 800 mayinclude any suitable computing device with a ring-shaped housing with orwithout a display, in some instances, including, but not limited to, aserver system, a mobile device, a wearable device, or the like; acontent streaming device; a scanning device; a speaker device; or thelike. The voice integrated device(s) 800 may correspond to anillustrative device configuration for the scanning device of FIGS. 1-7.

The voice integrated device(s) 800 may be configured to communicate withone or more servers, user devices, or the like. The voice integrateddevice(s) 800 may be configured to determine voice commands, determinewakeword utterances, determine and/or control other devices, and otheroperations. The voice integrated device(s) 800 may be configured to emitlight, detect sound, output audio content, and other functionality.

The voice integrated device(s) 800 may be configured to communicate viaone or more networks. Such network(s) may include, but are not limitedto, any one or more different types of communications networks such as,for example, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet),private networks (e.g., frame-relay networks), wireless networks,cellular networks, telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephonenetwork), or any other suitable private or public packet-switched orcircuit-switched networks. Further, such network(s) may have anysuitable communication range associated therewith and may include, forexample, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan areanetworks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs),or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, such network(s) mayinclude communication links and associated networking devices (e.g.,link-layer switches, routers, etc.) for transmitting network trafficover any suitable type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxialcable, twisted-pair wire (e.g., twisted-pair copper wire), opticalfiber, a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, a microwave medium, a radiofrequency communication medium, a satellite communication medium, or anycombination thereof.

In an illustrative configuration, the voice integrated device(s) 800 mayinclude one or more processors (processor(s)) 802, one or more memorydevices 804 (also referred to herein as memory 804), one or moreinput/output (I/O) interface(s) 806, one or more network interface(s)808, one or more sensor(s) or sensor interface(s) 810, one or moretransceiver(s) 812, one or more optional speakers and/or microphones814, and data storage 820. The voice integrated device(s) 800 mayfurther include one or more bus(es) 818 that functionally couple variouscomponents of the voice integrated device(s) 800. The voice integrateddevice(s) 800 may further include one or more antenna(e) 830 that mayinclude, without limitation, a cellular antenna for transmitting orreceiving signals to/from a cellular network infrastructure, an antennafor transmitting or receiving Wi-Fi signals to/from an access point(AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna for receivingGNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmittingor receiving Bluetooth signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) antennafor transmitting or receiving NFC signals, and so forth. These variouscomponents will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The bus(es) 818 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus,an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit the exchange ofinformation (e.g., data (including computer-executable code), signaling,etc.) between various components of the voice integrated device(s) 800.The bus(es) 818 may include, without limitation, a memory bus or amemory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, andso forth. The bus(es) 818 may be associated with any suitable busarchitecture including, without limitation, an Industry StandardArchitecture (ISA), a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), an Enhanced ISA(EISA), a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) architecture,an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) architecture, a Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (PCI) architecture, a PCI-Express architecture, a PersonalComputer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) architecture, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) architecture, and so forth.

The memory 804 of the voice integrated device(s) 800 may includevolatile memory (memory that maintains its state when supplied withpower) such as random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory(memory that maintains its state even when not supplied with power) suchas read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), andso forth. Persistent data storage, as that term is used herein, mayinclude non-volatile memory. In certain example embodiments, volatilememory may enable faster read/write access than non-volatile memory.However, in certain other example embodiments, certain types ofnon-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable faster read/write accessthan certain types of volatile memory.

In various implementations, the memory 804 may include multipledifferent types of memory such as various types of static random accessmemory (SRAM), various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM),various types of unalterable ROM, and/or writeable variants of ROM suchas electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flashmemory, and so forth. The memory 804 may include main memory as well asvarious forms of cache memory such as instruction cache(s), datacache(s), translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further,cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache organizedas a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

The data storage 820 may include removable storage and/or non-removablestorage including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical diskstorage, and/or tape storage. The data storage 820 may providenon-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data.The memory 804 and the data storage 820, removable and/or non-removable,are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term isused herein.

The data storage 820 may store computer-executable code, instructions,or the like that may be loadable into the memory 804 and executable bythe processor(s) 802 to cause the processor(s) 802 to perform orinitiate various operations. The data storage 820 may additionally storedata that may be copied to the memory 804 for use by the processor(s)802 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions.Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of thecomputer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 802 may be storedinitially in the memory 804, and may ultimately be copied to the datastorage 820 for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage 820 may store one or more operatingsystems (O/S) 822; one or more database management systems (DBMS) 824;and one or more program module(s), applications, engines,computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, oneor more voice input module(s) 826 and/or one or more communicationmodule(s) 828. Some or all of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Anyof the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 820 mayinclude any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. Thesoftware and/or firmware may include computer-executable code,instructions, or the like that may be loaded into the memory 804 forexecution by one or more of the processor(s) 802. Any of the componentsdepicted as being stored in the data storage 820 may supportfunctionality described in reference to corresponding components namedearlier in this disclosure.

The data storage 820 may further store various types of data utilized bythe components of the voice integrated device(s) 800. Any data stored inthe data storage 820 may be loaded into the memory 804 for use by theprocessor(s) 802 in executing computer-executable code. In addition, anydata depicted as being stored in the data storage 820 may potentially bestored in one or more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS 824and loaded in the memory 804 for use by the processor(s) 802 inexecuting computer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, butare not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.),file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is storedon more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer networkdatastores, or the like. In FIG. 8, an example datastore(s) may include,for example, speaker identification or user profile information, and/orother information.

The processor(s) 802 may be configured to access the memory 804 andexecute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. Forexample, the processor(s) 802 may be configured to execute thecomputer-executable instructions of the various program module(s),applications, engines, or the like of the voice integrated device(s) 800to cause or facilitate various operations to be performed in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 802 mayinclude any suitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input,processing the input data in accordance with stored computer-executableinstructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 802 mayinclude any type of suitable processing unit including, but not limitedto, a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a Reduced InstructionSet Computer (RISC) microprocessor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer(CISC) microprocessor, a microcontroller, an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), aSystem-on-a-Chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so forth.Further, the processor(s) 802 may have any suitable microarchitecturedesign that includes any number of constituent components such as, forexample, registers, multiplexers, arithmetic logic units, cachecontrollers for controlling read/write operations to cache memory,branch predictors, or the like. The microarchitecture design of theprocessor(s) 802 may be capable of supporting any of a variety ofinstruction sets.

Referring now to functionality supported by the various programmodule(s) depicted in FIG. 8, the voice input module(s) 826 may includecomputer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive toexecution by one or more of the processor(s) 802 may perform functionsincluding, but not limited to, detect sound, determine sound meanings,generate audio signals and audio data, determine a location of sound,and the like.

The communication module(s) 828 may include computer-executableinstructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one ormore of the processor(s) 802 may perform functions including, but notlimited to, sending and/or receiving data, including content, sendingand/or receiving instructions and commands, and the like.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being storedin the data storage 820, the O/S 822 may be loaded from the data storage820 into the memory 804 and may provide an interface between otherapplication software executing on the voice integrated device(s) 800 andthe hardware resources of the voice integrated device(s) 800. Morespecifically, the O/S 822 may include a set of computer-executableinstructions for managing the hardware resources of the voice integrateddevice(s) 800 and for providing common services to other applicationprograms (e.g., managing memory allocation among various applicationprograms). In certain example embodiments, the O/S 822 may controlexecution of the other program module(s). The O/S 822 may include anyoperating system now known or which may be developed in the futureincluding, but not limited to, any server operating system, anymainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietaryoperating system.

The DBMS 824 may be loaded into the memory 804 and may supportfunctionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulatingdata stored in the memory 804 and/or data stored in the data storage820. The DBMS 824 may use any of a variety of database models (e.g.,relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a varietyof query languages. The DBMS 824 may access data represented in one ormore data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including,but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.),file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is storedon more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer networkdatastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which the voiceintegrated device(s) 800 is a mobile device, the DBMS 824 may be anysuitable lightweight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the voice integrateddevice(s) 800, the input/output (I/O) interface(s) 806 may facilitatethe receipt of input information by the voice integrated device(s) 800from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information fromthe voice integrated device(s) 800 to the one or more I/O devices. TheI/O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a displayor display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio outputdevice for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device,such as a microphone; an image and/or video capture device, such as acamera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may beintegrated into the voice integrated device(s) 800 or may be separate.The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number ofperipheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, andso forth.

The I/O interface(s) 806 may also include an interface for an externalperipheral device connection such as universal serial bus (USB),FireWire, Thunderbolt, Ethernet port or other connection protocol thatmay connect to one or more networks. The I/O interface(s) 806 may alsoinclude a connection to one or more of the antenna(e) 830 to connect toone or more networks via a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such asWi-Fi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and/or a wireless network radio, suchas a radio capable of communication with a wireless communicationnetwork such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3Gnetwork, a ZigBee network, etc.

The voice integrated device(s) 800 may further include one or morenetwork interface(s) 808 via which the voice integrated device(s) 800may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms,networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s) 808 may enablecommunication, for example, with one or more wireless routers, one ormore host servers, one or more web servers, and the like via one or morenetworks.

The antenna(e) 830 may include any suitable type of antenna depending,for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receivesignals via the antenna(e) 830. Non-limiting examples of suitableantennae may include directional antennae, non-directional antennae,dipole antennae, folded dipole antennae, patch antennae, multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) antennae, or the like. The antenna(e) 830 may becommunicatively coupled to one or more transceivers 812 or radiocomponents to which or from which signals may be transmitted orreceived.

As previously described, the antenna(e) 830 may include a cellularantenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance withestablished standards and protocols, such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), 3G standards (e.g., Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access(W-CDMA), CDMA2000, etc.), 4G standards (e.g., Long-Term Evolution(LTE), WiMax, etc.), direct satellite communications, or the like.

The antenna(e) 830 may additionally, or alternatively, include a Wi-Fiantenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance withestablished standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family ofstandards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g,802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels(e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(e) 830may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals withinany suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensed portion ofthe radio spectrum.

The antenna(e) 830 may additionally, or alternatively, include a GNSSantenna configured to receive GNSS signals from three or more GNSSsatellites carrying time-position information to triangulate a positiontherefrom. Such a GNSS antenna may be configured to receive GNSS signalsfrom any current or planned GNSS such as, for example, the GlobalPositioning System (GPS), the GLONASS System, the Compass NavigationSystem, the Galileo System, or the Indian Regional Navigational System.

The transceiver(s) 812 may include any suitable radio component(s)for—in cooperation with the antenna(e) 830—transmitting or receivingradio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channelscorresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the voiceintegrated device(s) 800 to communicate with other devices. Thetransceiver(s) 812 may include hardware, software, and/or firmware formodulating, transmitting, or receiving—potentially in cooperation withany of antenna(e) 830—communications signals according to any of thecommunications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to,one or more Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi direct protocols, as standardized by theIEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or morecellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s) 812may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSSsignals. The transceiver(s) 812 may include any known receiver andbaseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocolsutilized by the voice integrated device(s) 800. The transceiver(s) 812may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signalamplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, adigital baseband, or the like.

The sensor(s)/sensor interface(s) 810 may include or may be capable ofinterfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, forexample, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, photocells,and so forth. Example types of inertial sensors may includeaccelerometers (e.g., MEMS-based accelerometers), gyroscopes, and soforth.

The optional speaker(s) and/or microphone(s) 814 may include any deviceconfigured to output audio. The optional microphone(s) 816 may be anydevice configured to receive analog sound input or voice data.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications,computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 8as being stored in the data storage 820 are merely illustrative and notexhaustive and that processing described as being supported by anyparticular module may alternatively be distributed across multiplemodule(s) or performed by a different module. In addition, variousprogram module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), Application ProgrammingInterface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable codehosted locally on the voice integrated device(s) 800, and/or hosted onother computing device(s) accessible via one or more networks, may beprovided to support functionality provided by the program module(s),applications, or computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 8 and/oradditional or alternate functionality. Further, functionality may bemodularized differently such that processing described as beingsupported collectively by the collection of program module(s) depictedin FIG. 8 may be performed by a fewer or greater number of module(s), orfunctionality described as being supported by any particular module maybe supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, programmodule(s) that support the functionality described herein may form partof one or more applications executable across any number of systems ordevices in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, forexample, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. Inaddition, any of the functionality described as being supported by anyof the program module(s) depicted in FIG. 8 may be implemented, at leastpartially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number of devices.

It should further be appreciated that the voice integrated device(s) 800may include alternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmwarecomponents beyond those described or depicted without departing from thescope of the disclosure. More particularly, it should be appreciatedthat software, firmware, or hardware components depicted as forming partof the voice integrated device(s) 800 are merely illustrative and thatsome components may not be present or additional components may beprovided in various embodiments. While various illustrative programmodule(s) have been depicted and described as software module(s) storedin the data storage 820, it should be appreciated that functionalitydescribed as being supported by the program module(s) may be enabled byany combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. It shouldfurther be appreciated that each of the above-mentioned module(s) may,in various embodiments, represent a logical partitioning of supportedfunctionality. This logical partitioning is depicted for ease ofexplanation of the functionality and may not be representative of thestructure of software, hardware, and/or firmware for implementing thefunctionality. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that functionalitydescribed as being provided by a particular module may, in variousembodiments, be provided at least in part by one or more othermodule(s). Further, one or more depicted module(s) may not be present incertain embodiments, while in other embodiments, additional module(s)not depicted may be present and may support at least a portion of thedescribed functionality and/or additional functionality. Moreover, whilecertain module(s) may be depicted and described as sub-module(s) ofanother module, in certain embodiments, such module(s) may be providedas independent module(s) or as sub-module(s) of other module(s).

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, and/or use casesof FIGS. 1-7 may be performed by a device having the illustrativeconfiguration depicted in FIG. 8, or more specifically, by one or moreengines, program module(s), applications, or the like executable on sucha device. It should be appreciated, however, that such operations may beimplemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous othermodifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processingcapabilities described with respect to a particular device or componentmay be performed by any other device or component. Further, whilevarious illustrative implementations and architectures have beendescribed in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous othermodifications to the illustrative implementations and architecturesdescribed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Program module(s), applications, or the like disclosed herein mayinclude one or more software components including, for example, softwareobjects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such softwarecomponent may include computer-executable instructions that, responsiveto execution, cause at least a portion of the functionality describedherein (e.g., one or more operations of the illustrative methodsdescribed herein) to be performed.

A software component may be coded in any of a variety of programminglanguages. An illustrative programming language may be a lower-levelprogramming language such as an assembly language associated with aparticular hardware architecture and/or operating system platform. Asoftware component comprising assembly language instructions may requireconversion into executable machine code by an assembler prior toexecution by the hardware architecture and/or platform.

Another example programming language may be a higher-level programminglanguage that may be portable across multiple architectures. A softwarecomponent comprising higher-level programming language instructions mayrequire conversion to an intermediate representation by an interpreteror a compiler prior to execution.

Other examples of programming languages include, but are not limited to,a macro language, a shell or command language, a job control language, ascript language, a database query or search language, or a reportwriting language. In one or more example embodiments, a softwarecomponent comprising instructions in one of the foregoing examples ofprogramming languages may be executed directly by an operating system orother software component without having to be first transformed intoanother form.

A software component may be stored as a file or other data storageconstruct. Software components of a similar type or functionally relatedmay be stored together such as, for example, in a particular directory,folder, or library. Software components may be static (e.g.,pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g., created or modified at thetime of execution).

Software components may invoke or be invoked by other softwarecomponents through any of a wide variety of mechanisms. Invoked orinvoking software components may comprise other custom-developedapplication software, operating system functionality (e.g., devicedrivers, data storage (e.g., file management) routines, other commonroutines and services, etc.), or third-party software components (e.g.,middleware, encryption, or other security software, database managementsoftware, file transfer or other network communication software,mathematical or statistical software, image processing software, andformat translation software).

Software components associated with a particular solution or system mayreside and be executed on a single platform or may be distributed acrossmultiple platforms. The multiple platforms may be associated with morethan one hardware vendor, underlying chip technology, or operatingsystem. Furthermore, software components associated with a particularsolution or system may be initially written in one or more programminglanguages, but may invoke software components written in anotherprogramming language.

Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto aspecial-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particularmachine, such that execution of the instructions on the computer,processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus causes one ormore functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams to beperformed. These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct acomputer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function ina particular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means that implement one or more functions oroperations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer programinstructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements orsteps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus toproduce a computer-implemented process.

Additional types of CRSM that may be present in any of the devicesdescribed herein may include, but are not limited to, programmablerandom access memory (PRAM), SRAM, DRAM, RAM, ROM, electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatiledisc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which can be used to store the information and which can beaccessed. Combinations of any of the above are also included within thescope of CRSM. Alternatively, computer-readable communication media(CRCM) may include computer-readable instructions, program module(s), orother data transmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, orother transmission. However, as used herein, CRSM does not include CRCM.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific featuresor acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosedas illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditionallanguage, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,”unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include,certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditionallanguage is not generally intended to imply that features, elements,and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or thatone or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with orwithout user input or prompting, whether these features, elements,and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particularembodiment.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A ring-shaped device comprising: an outershell; an inner shell; an antenna element that at least partially formsan outer surface of the ring-shaped device; a carrier component thatseparates the outer shell from the inner shell, and separates theantenna element from the outer shell; a curved battery disposed along afirst side of the ring-shaped device; and a flexible printed circuitassembly coupled to the curved battery and disposed along a second sideof the ring shaped device.
 2. The ring-shaped device of claim 1, furthercomprising: a display coupled to the outer shell.
 3. The ring-shapeddevice of claim 2, further comprising: a microphone disposed adjacent tothe display; and a speaker disposed adjacent to the display.
 4. Thering-shaped device of claim 1, further comprising: a rotatable physicalcontrol.
 5. The ring-shaped device of claim 1, wherein the antennaelement comprises a first aperture, and the outer shell comprises asecond aperture, and wherein the flexible printed circuit assemblycomprises: a first microphone aligned with the first aperture; and asecond microphone aligned with the second aperture.
 6. The ring-shapeddevice of claim 5, wherein the first microphone is disposed along anupper portion of the ring-shaped device, and the second microphone isdisposed along a lower portion of the ring-shaped device.
 7. Thering-shaped device of claim 5, wherein the flexible printed circuitassembly further comprises: an antenna feed component disposed adjacentto the first microphone, the antenna feed component configured toelectrically couple the flexible printed circuit assembly to the antennaelement.
 8. The ring-shaped device of claim 5, further comprising: aspeaker assembly disposed adjacent to the second microphone; and aflexible jumper component configured to electrically couple the flexibleprinted circuit assembly and the curved battery.
 9. The ring-shapeddevice of claim 1, wherein the inner shell is a circular inner shell,and wherein the first side and the second side have a first thicknessthat is equal to a second thickness of an upper portion of thering-shaped device.
 10. The ring-shaped device of claim 1, wherein thecarrier component is a plastic carrier component.
 11. The ring-shapeddevice of claim 1, further comprising: a button assembly coupled to theouter shell, the button assembly comprising a metal button portion and arubber portion.
 12. The ring-shaped device of claim 1, furthercomprising: a charging contact coupled to the inner shell, wherein thecharging contact is oriented in an inward facing orientation withrespect to a center of the ring-shaped device.
 13. A device comprising:a ring-shaped housing comprising an outer shell, an inner shell, and anantenna element; a carrier component that separates the outer shell fromthe inner shell, and separates the antenna element from the outer shell;a rechargeable battery disposed in the ring-shaped housing; a flexibleprinted circuit assembly disposed in the ring-shaped housing; and afirst microphone disposed along a lower portion of the ring-shapedhousing.
 14. The device of claim 13, further comprising: a displaycoupled to the outer shell.
 15. The device of claim 14, furthercomprising: a microphone disposed adjacent to the display; and a speakerdisposed adjacent to the display.
 16. The device of claim 13, furthercomprising: a rotatable physical control.
 17. The device of claim 13,wherein a first thickness of a first side of the ring-shaped housing isless than a second thickness of the lower portion of the ring-shapedhousing.
 18. The device of claim 13, further comprising: a secondmicrophone disposed along an upper portion of the ring-shaped housing;wherein the first microphone is configured to receive voice input, andwherein the second microphone is configured for noise cancellation. 19.The device of claim 13, wherein the antenna element is a curved antennaelement that forms an outer surface of an upper portion of thering-shaped housing.
 20. The device of claim 13, wherein the device isconfigured to send and receive wireless communications.